Breakaway

Last week was possibly one of the hardest weeks of my life. The man was away for a week of training to become a Class 1 HGV driver. Five days of sheer hell. It was lonely, cold and hectic. So much happened that I needed support for but the support wasn't here. I know he was at the end of the phone but it was good for us to get a break from each other - I can be a bit overwhelming!!

The first day was the worst. After managing to kick the table full force, I couldn't walk. I managed to drive myself to the doctors (it didn't hurt to drive at all) then drove to work, where I was promptly told I wasn't allowed to drive any further and would have to rest the whole day - at work. Go figure. So, after being fussed after, driven here, there and everywhere and feeling generally like a twat for being at work, I got a lift home and sat down to watch a movie. I have no idea what I watched, so it can't have been that good!

The next day, I drove myself to work again - after leaving the leccy blanket on all night, my foot was so much better! I had a really good group in the afternoon and then went home to cook supper and watch another couple of films. I think that's when I watched Sled Dogs with a malamute pup sitting beside me - now THAT was interesting watching! I think she knew the Huskies were related to her and she saw them pulling sleds and wanted to join in. Aww how cute!

Wednesday came. It was a fairly quiet day and I felt my mood drop the moment I woke up. Things progressively got worse during the day and by night time, I was scraping the barrel for a smile. I was in bed by 8pm and sleeping by 10pm after a hilarious phonecall from Dad.

Thursday was manic. I nipped into the office at 10.45am to pick up a few things and then left for Huntly with Sasha in the boot. A mile down the road, I had to stop because she was creating such a fuss. Bravely, I sorted her lead so it was over my shoulder and got her out of the boot so I could fold the back seats and give her more space. By the time I had her out of the car, a couple in a washing machine on wheels were parked about 10ft behind me, watching my movements intently. With pup pulling one way, and me the other as I worked in the car, the pair behind me never offered to help but sat laughing loudly at me while I struggled on. Finally, my work was done and the dog guard was out, the seats folded and her quilt covered the whole area. I asked her to get into the car and she obliged (strange...). Within seconds, we were on our way. Another minute later, while I was negotiating a round-about, she decides to howl constantly and deposit a large gift of runny mess on the pure white quilt. Great.

At the next layby, I went to work getting the dog out of the car again and got the mess cleared up and rinsed as much out of the quilt as I could, using my diluted orange squash. Magically, it took away the smell! By the time I got to Huntly, I was stressed to the max, paranoid there was going to be a repeat performance and praying I didn't return to a completely chewed car. However, she was good as gold. Before the group, I took her for a walk with only a lead on her collar and the halti. She barely pulled and she actually listened to me! She was a bit hyper for a while when I met my friend and her dog, but she only jumped up once and the rest of the time she was an angel. Who stole my dog?

By the time the group was finished, I was hankering to get out to the car to see what she'd been up to, but she was sound asleep in the back on the folded quilt. Even when I walked my colleague to her car to help her carry the bags, Sasha was great. She never jumped up, got over excited but just walked along with us on the pavement.

I headed to Turriff quickly to squeeze in a quick walk with the dog while I waited for my young carer to come and meet me. No halti required. WOW. When I had the young carer in the car, she came to say hello then went back to lying in her wee bed. This is a step forward!

The entire day, she was so good. I'd really like to know who stole my dog because this isn't the real Sasha. Or so I thought until tonight when she pee'd on my sofa.

I had a well-behaved dog for a couple of days...but now she's back to her old tricks. Madam that she is...

Oh my...

So last night, I decided I wanted something rich, tasty and that involved chicken and pasta. I also wasn't in the mood for doing anything spectacularly intricate or difficult. Sore heads are annoying.

I got a couple of chicken breasts out of the freezer and stuck them in the microwave to defrost - yes, I use frozen chicken ALL the time because it doesn't go off anywhere nearly as quick! Which the chicken was defrosting, I gathered my staple veg and did some slicing, at the same time heating oil...

Enough! This sounds like a drag of a recipe. Here's the easy way to say it all!

1 onion, thinly sliced
5 mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 chicken breasts, cut into small bitesize pieces
3/4 glass white wine - whatever kind you fancy!
1 tbsp white sugar
1 garlic clove, finely chopped - or crushed, for ease
Cream - any kind will do, but I used double. Add as much as you see fit to make a decent quantity of sauce
Pasta - any kind, I used fusilli

So... here goes.

Heat some oil in a frying pan. Add onion, season with salt and pepper, and fry for about 5 minutes over a medium heat. Add chicken and cook for a further 5 minutes. Sprinkle over sugar and stir in. Add mushrooms and fry for 2 minutes, add garlic, stir for 30 secs, and then add wine. Turn up the heat and let that cook for a couple of minutes until most of the alcohol has burnt off.

Allow the mix to bubble away at a simmer for 10 minutes. During this time, cook the pasta as per the pack directions.

Once sauce has reduced a little, add cream and stir well. Allow to simmer for around 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Taste and season accordingly! Serve with drained pasta.

Enjoy!